Over the weekend, Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane confirmed that the Mayor Fisk storyline will be resolved in Season 2. He said that the plan is to move away from politics in Season 3, shifting to a Frank Miller-inspired street-level story.
That opens the door to many exciting possibilities. We don't believe that Season 2 marks the end of the line for Wilson Fisk, but if The Kingpin of Crime is set to take a backseat, the Marvel Television series can reinvent itself.
In this feature, we're going to explore the best ways to put a fresh spin on the Man Without Fear's corner of the MCU. From new characters to returning fan-favourites and a major change of scenery, any one of these would give Daredevil: Born Again a fighting chance of returning for Seasons 4, 5, 6, and beyond.
Check out this breakdown in its entirety by clicking on the "Next"/"View List" buttons below.
6. Daredevil's New Sidekick
During Charles Soule's Daredevil run, the Man Without Fear takes on a sidekick: Samuel Chung, a.k.a. Blindspot. An undocumented immigrant from China, Sam creates a suit that turns him invisible and sets out to make Chinatown safer by defeating the villainous Tenfingers.
Tenfingers is a fairly forgettable villain, but Sam's story gets particularly interesting after he crosses paths with Muse. The serial killer blinds him, and the now-appropriately named Blindspot seeks out help from The Hand, briefly turning on his mentor after making a deal with The Beast.
There's plenty of interesting material to mine from Sam's story, though we do wonder whether his immigration status risks touching on the politics that Scardapane seems eager to move on from.
5. Elektra Returns
Whatever form Daredevil: Born Again Season 3 takes, this should be a priority for Marvel Television. Neither Daredevil Season 2 nor The Defenders really did right by Elektra, though there were enough good moments to make Elodie Yung's MCU return a must.
If Scardapane is serious about taking his cues from Frank Miller, then the assassin's return is essential. After all, The Hand's presence in Spider-Man: Brand New Day suggests they could factor into Season 3 somehow, and where they go, Elektra is usually pretty close behind.
Perhaps the most interesting direction for Elektra is to have her also become Daredevil. That lines up with the comics, where she now shares the mantle with the Man Without Fear, protecting New York in a very different way from the man she loves.
4. Behind Bars
Matt Murdock has been imprisoned not once, but twice. The first instance came after Brian Michael Bendis had the Kingpin reveal Daredevil's secret identity to the FBI, and, eventually, the general public. Ed Brubaker then picked up with Matt in Ryker's, where he had to share a wing with many of his greatest enemies.
The second time was at the start of Chip Zdarsky's Daredevil run. Recovering from a recent injury and not at 100%, the Man Without Fear inadvertently killed a street thug and served time behind bars as the masked Daredevil (this was when Elektra took his place in Hell's Kitchen).
Either one of these stories could make for a great Season 3, particularly if Matt and Fisk end up in the same prison. The ramifications of a story arc like this would be significant for the hero and almost certainly take Matt to some new and previously unexplored places in the MCU.
3. Ikari (And San Francisco)
Matt Murdock has relocated to San Francisco on a few occasions. While some of you might have reservations about leaving Hell's Kitchen, this would definitely go some way in freshening up Daredevil: Born Again when the Mayor Fisk storyline runs its course.
During Mark Waid's stint on Daredevil, a grievously injured Bullseye (during Shadowland, Matt stabbed and seemingly killed the villain) returns and creates a new "Daredevil" after repeatedly reenacting the accident that blinded the hero. Ikari is a highly trained fighter who has all of the Man Without Fear's superpowers and none of his morals.
Some changes would need to be made to the story—we'd make Ikari one of The Hand's fighters or perhaps even Fisk's final revenge—but this character has all the makings of Daredevil's deadliest challenge to date.
2. Battle With The Beast
There was a supernatural element to Frank Miller's time on Daredevil, particularly when it came to The Hand. Recent years have seen Marvel establish that they're ruled by Krahllak, a.k.a. The Beast, a demon that gives the ninja clan their ability to rise from the dead.
The monster possessed Matt when he took over the Hand, and continued to plague the hero even after he was vanquished. Learning that The Beast had ordered the murders of Foggy Nelson and Stick, Daredevil got Elektra to kill him so he could travel to Hell and save his friends.
Given Daredevil: Born Again's grounded tone, chances are Marvel Television wouldn't get too supernatural with its take on The Beast. There's likely a happy medium, though, especially if we're going to see a comic-accurate version of The Hand target Hell's Kitchen in Season 3.
1. Set The Stage For Devil's Reign
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 will wrap up the Mayor Fisk storyline, but that doesn't necessarily mean the Kingpin of Crime will no longer be in the Mayor's office. 'Ol Hornhead can still beat the villain, but in a way that tees up a much bigger confrontation down the line.
There are rumours about Marvel Studios having plans for a big street-level event story, bringing together Spider-Man, Daredevil, and the Defenders for an epic battle with Fisk (who we have to believe would command his own army of supervillains—the Dark Avengers?—by then).
Season 3 can set the stage for that, all while giving Matt a new threat to face. Putting the Kingpin's story on pause while still laying the groundwork for a big-screen clash gives fans the best of both worlds and still allows Scardapane to take the series in a new direction.